YORKSHIRE Water has paid a record £1million to environmental and wildlife charities after polluting a Harrogate watercourse, following an investigation by the Environment Agency (EA).

The company breached its environmental permit with an unauthorised sewage discharge from Hookstone Road combined sewer overflow, which polluted Hookstone Beck.

It submitted an Enforcement Undertaking to the EA proposing a charitable donation totalling £1m which is the largest ever accepted by the Agency.

It has paid £500,000 to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and £500,000 to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. It has also completed a significant £1.85million sewer network upgrade in the area as part of the enforcement terms.

An Enforcement Undertaking is a voluntary offer made by companies or individuals and usually includes a payment to an environmental charity to carry out environmental improvements.

Hookstone Road combined sewer overflow has an environmental permit which allows a discharge into the beck when the storm sewage facility is full due to rainfall or snow melt.

On August 31, 2016 the EA received a report of pollution in Hookstone Beck. Investigating officers traced it to the overflow at Hookstone Road, which had blocked and not alerted Yorkshire Water due to faulty telemetry equipment.

The investigation found that almost 1,500 fish had been killed and water quality affected for 2.5km downstream.